It's been roughly five months since 14 high school students and three staff members were shot and killed in their school in Parkland, Fla.

As I write, the first of two World Cup semifinal games, Belgium vs. France, is set to kick off in Moscow, and as soon as this column is finished and filed I'll be enjoying the spectacle on TV. Largely for the sake of my old friend Alain in Montpellier, I'll be pulling hard for France.